Today on the presidential campaign trail

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney pours some syrup as he serves breakfast to residents at the Salvation Army Harbor Lights , Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008 in Minneapolis. After the service, Romney helped serve breakfast to the residents, which included the people in the red shirts. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

IN THE HEADLINES

Bush tells convention McCain is ready to lead, support of war shows his courage ... McCain says Palin was thoroughly checked out before she was selected ... With GOP struggling, Obama content to keep it local and low-key ... Outside GOP convention, heavy police presence meets thousands protesting poverty, homelessness ... McCain and Obama camps air new ads, alter playing field

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Bush praises McCain, Thompson defends Palin

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- President Bush, relegated to a minor role at the Republican National Convention, praised John McCain Tuesday night as "ready to lead this nation," a courageous candidate who supported the war in Iraq despite risks to his campaign for the White House.

As Bush addressed the convention from the White House -- his speech was to last less than eight minutes -- Republicans in St. Paul defended McCain's vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin. The governor of Alaska is "from a small town, with small town values, but that's not good enough for those folks who are attacking her and her family," former Sen. Fred Thompson said in convention remarks released in advance.

He said McCain's decision to put her on the ticket "has the other side and their friends in the media in a state of panic." In the days since her selection, Palin has disclosed that her 17-year-old, unmarried daughter is pregnant, and that a lawyer has been retained to represent her in an unfolding investigation in Alaska into the dismissal of a state employee.

Bush's brief cameo was highly unusual for a two-term president addressing his party's convention as he prepared to leave office. Aides suggested the sequence of events flowed naturally from his decision to travel to Louisiana on Wednesday to see the damage caused by Hurricane Gustav.

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McCain says Palin thoroughly checked

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Republican John McCain said Tuesday he's satisfied that Sarah Palin's background was properly checked before the Alaska governor joined the Republican ticket. He predicted that public excitement about her candidacy will increase after she addresses the GOP convention on Wednesday.

McCain visited fire houses in Ohio and Pennsylvania on Tuesday, and was due to arrive at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., on Wednesday.

Asked whether Palin's background was thoroughly checked out before he selected her, McCain told reporters in Philadelphia: "The vetting process was completely thorough and I'm grateful for the results."

Later, after visiting a firehouse in Brecksville, Ohio, near Cleveland, McCain added: "I just want to repeat again how excited I am to have Sarah Palin, the great governor of Alaska, as my running mate."

"America is excited and they're going to be even more excited once they see her tomorrow night," he said. "I'm very, very proud of the impression she's made on all of America and I look forward to serving with her."

In St. Paul, Minn., campaign advisers vehemently defended the Palin review. They said she completed a 70-question survey with questions that included: Have you ever paid for sex? Have you been faithful in your marriage? Have you ever used or purchased drugs? Have you ever downloaded pornography?

Questions about the thoroughness of the review of Palin came up after Palin disclosed that her teenage daughter, Bristol, is pregnant.

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Obama content to stay local and low-key

CHICAGO (AP) -- Barack Obama's presidential campaign can hardly believe its luck this week. Coming off a well-received convention where 40 million TV viewers saw his acceptance speech, the Democratic nominee made three nightly appearances in battleground states that each drew 14,000 or more people.

Meanwhile, the start of the Republican convention was blown off course by Hurricane Gustav and questions about vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

All that helps explain why voters outside a few heartland industrial states may hardly be aware that Obama is campaigning this week. The campaign is so satisfied, aides say, that he's making no effort to shake things up or make national news. There are no new proposals or lines of attack on Republican John McCain.

Obama spent Tuesday out of public sight after cutting short his Labor Day speeches in deference to Gustav's victims. After all, there's an old saying in politics: If your opponent is self-destructing, don't get in his way.

McCain has hardly self-destructed, of course, and he may rebound quickly with some good events at the convention in St. Paul. For the moment, however, Democrats could hardly have hoped for a better one-week run.

"I don't think we could be in a better place than we are," Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday.

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Hundreds protest poverty, homelessness as GOP meet

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- A heavy police presence, with many officers in full riot gear, stood ready Tuesday as some 2,000 people protested poverty and homelessness near the Republican convention arena.

A day after nearly 300 people were arrested for scattered acts of violence near the arena, protesters rallied at a park before marching to the Xcel Energy Center about nine blocks away, where they planned to serve Republicans with a "citizens' arrest" for crimes against humanity.

Monday's violence unfolded after a largely peaceful anti-war march by some 10,000 people. Afterward, police blamed a splinter group of about 200 for harassing delegates, smashing windows, puncturing car tires, throwing bottles and starting at least one fire.

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Obama, McCain up with new ads, new field

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Barack Obama and John McCain punched up the themes that will drive the fall presidential campaign in new and expanded commercial spots airing Tuesday.

Obama, the Democratic nominee, linked McCain to President Bush. McCain, about to be nominated by the Republican Party this week, portrayed Obama and congressional Democrats as heralds of higher taxes and increased spending.

The new ads emerged as the campaigns upgraded their partisan pitches after a brief lull during the threat from Hurricane Gustav.

McCain's ad, paid for by the campaign and the Republican National Committee, expanded his presence into Florida, Minnesota and North Carolina, states where he had not advertised before.

Obama, who had been advertising in 18 states, decided to run commercial spots during the Democratic convention only in states where McCain was running anti-Obama ads. He returned to the air Tuesday in 17 states, apparently dropping Georgia from his rotation, according to advertising data obtained by The Associated Press.

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DAILY TRACK

Democrat Barack Obama has an 8-percentage-point lead over Republican John McCain -- he has 50 percent to McCain's 42 percent -- among registered voters in the presidential race, according to the latest Gallup Poll daily tracking update.

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THE DEMOCRATS

Barack Obama was in Chicago with no public schedule.

Joe Biden campaigned in the Florida cities of Deerfield Beach and West Palm Beach.

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THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain visited Philadelphia and Cleveland.

Sarah Palin was in St. Paul, Minn., with no public schedule.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"We need a president who doesn't think that the protection of the unborn or a newly born baby is above his pay grade." -- Fred Thompson, in remarks prepared for delivery Tuesday night.

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STAT OF THE DAY:

The Twin Cities could receive an estimated $150 million to $160 million economic boost from the four-day Republican convention, organizers say.

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Compiled by Ann Sanner.